1. Statement of the Field of Endeavor
United States Patent Class 43
The present invention relates to new methods and devices for a fishing rod/net-lasso device combination that is suitable for the use of anglers in various fishing settings in the summer, winter, or any other season. The present invention relates to the combination of any fishing rod and a net or lasso apparatus as one product. A net-lasso apparatus helps the angler to catch fish, netting or lassoing and lifting it in any place, and at any height from the water, for example by one fishing on a bridge, ship or other location.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fishing nets are widely utilized as auxiliary equipment by anglers, fishermen and sportsmen in order to capture and land a fish caught on a hook. Fishing nets are particularly useful for wading fishermen and highly desirable for sportsmen fishing from a bank or a boat. Many times the problem for a fisherman is to produce an operable fishing net while suddenly encountering a fish and having a simultaneous need to reel in the fish and apply tension to a fishing line. This creates an awkward and cumbersome situation for the sportsman and may cause an adverse effect on the outcome of the situation. While holding a pole and line that is hooked to a fish, a fisherman is relegated to having no more than one hand available for operation of the fishing net.
Historically, nets suited for one hand operation have been available as an elongated rigid handle at one end a permanently affixed loop frame holding a net on the other. However, such a cumbersome apparatus having the frame mounting the net affixed to a permanent extension from the handle is inconvenient because it is difficult to transport and use by the fisherman due to considerable length and awkward nature of the apparatus. Furthermore, the exposed net is prone to snag and catch in the natural obstacles associated with boating, wading, and fishing.
Many fishing nets have been designed before equipped handles and condensed nets. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,291 describes a landing net wherein the net and its frame can be collapsed. U.S. Pat. No. 3,815,272 describes a fish net that can be collapsed and stored in the net handle through cumbersome manipulation of both the net and frame. U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,177 describes a fish net and frame that is collapsible and storable in the handle by a combination of telescoping and folding the frame and net. U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,790 describes a fish net with a frame and a handle wherein the fish net and frame collapse and pivot into a compact assembly. U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,700 describes a fish net, frame, and handle that can be telescoped and collapsed into the handle, but is not easily transformed from the collapsed state to the operational position. U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,773 describes a fish net, frame, and handle that can be collapsed by folding and un-telescoping of the frame, but does not provide a cover for the stored net. U.S. Pat. No. 3,167,878 describes a fish net containing arms that provide a curvature forming a net frame which can be collapsed into the handle by manually compressing the arms. U.S. Pat. No. 1,169,311 describes a fish net, a three-section frame, and handle that can be collapsed and telescoped into the handle, but requires the time consuming assembly of several frame sections to make the fish net operable.
Although these patents disclose apparatuses containing handles and nets designed to be condensed, the prior art fails to provide a readily collapsible fish net assembly that may be rapidly deployed using one-hand to manipulate the device. The present invention provides a new and useful apparatus that addresses the above problems and other problems as well.